Osteolysis of the Carpus as a Presentation of Pancoast's Tumor

Abstract

Lung cancer is most often located in the right upper lobe and is called a Pancoast tumor. On many occasions, the Pancoast tumor begins with osteomyoarticular manifestations. A 72-year-old white male patient of peasant origin is presented who attends the Guard Corps because for a few weeks an increase in volume has been noted on the back of the right hand accompanied by pain in the absence of trauma. An X-ray of the hand was performed, observing osteolysis of the carpal bones, in the preoperative preparation a chest X-ray was performed where an image of condensation of the upper lobe of the right lung was observed. An excisional biopsy of the carpal lesion was performed, the result of which was metastasis of highly undifferentiated lung adenocarcinoma.

Lung cancer: prevent or treat?

“…Cancer is currently one of the most serious health problems of humanity, it is among the first as a cause of death in developed and developing countries, with a tendency to continue to rise and occupy the absolute first place for the year 2025 [1,2], also, because its diagnosis is made in advanced stages, it is estimated that its incidence will double by the year 2030 as a result of population growth and aging and that it may affect all ages, even those fetuses [3,4].…”

“…The locations that account for more than half of the mortality are the lung, prostate, breast, colon and cervix [1], with the lung being the most frequent of all [1,2].…”